Bravo For Brava: Reconstructing Breasts
Reported December 27, 2011
ORLANDO, Fla. (Ivanhoe Newswire) —Thinning hair, loss of eyelashes, no breasts… it’s a reality many breast cancer patients face after chemo and a mastectomy. But with fat-grafting, patients can get their breasts back using their own stem cells. We go inside the OR for a look at one device that’s taking the procedure to a whole new level.
Michelle Hartog is going under the needle, to get back what she lost to her breast cancer.
“You look at yourself and go, who is that? Who is that person in the mirror you’re losing your hair no eyelashes, no eyebrows no breasts you feel a little like a monster.”
Michelle wanted her breasts back, but didn’t want implants or prosthetics, so she turned to her husband, plastic surgeon, Dr. Jeffrey Hartog. Together they opted for something a little more natural…fat grafting
“How many women say well I wanna take it from here and go to here, well that’s what I’m doing!” Michelle said.
After having her second mastectomy, Michelle had liposuction. Some fat was immediately injected into her breast, the rest was banked for later. After a month, she was introduced to the Brava.
“It’s much like the breast pump when you’re pumping for milk for a baby,” Michelle explained.
She began wearing the domes, 10 hours a day. They’re attached to a sport box and pump that suction out air to stretch her tissues and increase blood flow. This new technique makes space for the added fat—resulting in less fat loss. It cuts the number of procedures in half, saving time and money. When she’s ready, the fat is removed, thawed and injected. In the past up to half of the fat injected would be reabsorbed by the body, but with the Brava– up to 90 percent will survive. Within minutes there’s a noticeable difference.
“With one more procedure we’ll have her to a B cup,” Dr. Hartog said.
Four days later, Michelle is back to looking and feeling a little more like herself.
The fat grafting procedure is done as outpatient, often under local anesthesia. Even though the results aren’t as immediate as implants it involves no incisions or new scars and recreates a natural feeling breast. The Brava is currently being used in addition to fat grafting as part of a multi-institution study.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:
Bronwyn Kohn
(407) 678-3116
bkohn@bougclin.com